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Monday, August 19, 2013

Vacation Shopping and Essentials

Hello everyone! Happy Monday! I've been a busy girl over the weekend. George and I are gearing up for our vacation, and for me, that means shopping! We are going to Spain, France, and Italy on a cruise. Saying that I'm excited wouldn't even begin to cover it. Having some time away from our daily stressors of moving, house building, etc. is just what we need.

When traveling overseas, you have to pack pretty light, but often, they don't make the travel sized stuff that you really want. I hit the mother load at Sephora and Target, so here are some of the goodies I picked up.

1.) Shampoo & Conditioners: Bumble and bumble thickening shampoo and conditioner along with the prep spray. I love Bumble and bumble because they are awesome about carrying travel sized versions of many of their popular products. I picked these up at Sephora for between $6 and $8 a piece.

2.) Body Products: Target sunscreen will always be my favorite. It holds up well in the water and doesn't cause me to break out. Next, I got this Victoria's Secret after sun spray for $2 with my $10 off any purchase card. Heck yes! Suave Advanced Therapy lotion- this stuff is the bomb.com. Perfect for skin that has been out in the sun. It is super creamy, but dries really quickly. Target also sells it in travel size :)

3.) Hair Styling: Bamboo Style Cleanse Extend Dry Shampoo. This stuff smells heavenly and is a must for vacations. Second day hair looks and smells good with this dry shampoo. Next up, It's a 10 Miracle Blowdry Volumizer. I've never used this stuff before, but it comes in a smaller sized can, and you can buy it at Target. Sold! Finally Bumble and bumble de Mode hairspray. Best hairspray ever, in a tiny can, nothing more to say about this stuff.

4.) Skin Care: Sadly, high maintenance Emily uses a lot more stuff than this, but these are the new purchases. A 10 pack of Sephora makeup wipes. Perfect for vacations, seriously, the packaging is so tiny. Travel sized baby shampoo, a must for removing eye makeup if you have eyelash extensions. (Oh yeah, P.S. I'm getting those before vacation.) Philosophy Purity face wash. I feel like this gentle face wash has a cult following, so I scooped up a travel size at Sephora.

Next up, some clothing essentials. Over the past week, I've found some killer deals on summer stuff that is on sale to make room for back to school clothes.

1.) Old Navy swim top purchased for $5. Hello back to school sales! 2.) 3/4 length sweater from Old Navy. Evenings on the ship can get a little windy and chilly. This is perfect and summery for when it cools off. On sale for $15. 3.) Victoria's Secret swim suit $18 with $10 off Angels reward card. 4.) Strapless maxi dress. Ok, I'm embracing the maxi now. These dresses can be dressed up or down for dinners and are so comfy. Why I'm just starting to wear these now is beyond me. 5.) Picked up this tank at J. Crew. It reminds me of Santorini. 6.) Yet another maxi from Target. A steal at $15! 7.) Chunky necklace and earring set from Charming Charlie. Used a $5 off coupon and got them for $11. 8.) Super soft coverup from Target. In love with how lightweight and cute this is. 9.) Wedges from DSW. These are a little dressier with the leather on top, but still comfy and go with everything. Got these for $50 reduced from $85.

Finally, and what I believe to be most importantly, the carry on bag. I don't like to haul a lot of crap around the airport, so I try to only pack the essentials.

1.) I've been meaning to read a book by Jen Lancaster for years. I finally ordered a paperback from Amazon, and I can't wait. I've heard she's hilarious! 2.) A headband is a must for me. Give me a few hours on an airplane, and my hair ends up looking like a I'm a crackhead. 3.) 81 mg Aspirin. I'm nutso about getting a blood clot. I guess that's the paranoid ER nurse in me? 4.) Toothbrush and toothpaste for combating nasty, dry airplane death breath. 5.) Oops, forgot a number 5, and I'm too lazy to change the picture...moving on to 6.) Neck pillow. I can't sleep on planes for anything, but I guess this is better than nothing. 7.) Comfy hooded sweatshirt. I always freeze my butt off on planes. 8.) Everyone Worth Knowing, written by the same author of The Devil Wears Prada. I really like her writing style. 9.) Smith's Rosebud Salve. This is my Holy Grail. Can't live without it, and I always have one on me at all times. 10.) Compression socks to combat cankles and keep your feet warm and comfy. 11.) Ear buds for drowning out children and chatty seat neighbors. 12.) No twelve either? Was I drunk when I made this? Sloppy Em, you're better than this. 13.) Adorable tote bag for holding all of your junk essentials.

Alright, now that you've seen all of my new purchases and packing essentials, I want to know from you:

I really need to hit up target for some travel size shampoos, conditioners, etc! I'm taking a week work trip to St. Louis, so I need to start preparing too! Most of my clothes will have to be my "business" wear, but I'll def be wearing one of my brady bands on the plane ride over there!! Love this post :)

I'm going to have to try that dry shampoo. I'm always looking for new ones. Too funny about taking the aspirin to prevent blood clots. As a nurse also I'd say I'd do the same thing and wear my thigh high compression hose! I love that JCrew tank! If you don't mind me asking what cruise line are you using? My husband and I were going to go on a European cruise for our honeymoon but had a hard time finding a decent cruise line!

If you plan to have a ring bearer in your wedding, he will need a special pillow to carry. There are many delightful options, from the classic to the whimsical. It can be especially nice to choose a ring pillow which ties in with the season of your wedding. This is a look at ring bearer pillow ideas for all seasons.

I've already gone through the work of booking, planning many vacations. and I actually enjoy the packing process. Best of all, it can save money, since packing the right things now will keep us from having to repurchase items once we arrive.

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